Boat bottom



June 26, 1962 BOAT BOTTOM Filed Aug. 11, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet l &: I '0 QI K1 2?. a s.

n 3 i i Q I Q George 0. Hue! 1N VEN TOR.

e013... BY w My G. o. HUET 3,040,687 I G. O. HUET BOAT BOTTOM June 26,1962 Filed Aug. 11, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 George 0. Hue! INVENTOR. BY @M15 Fig.5

3,046,687 v BOAT BUTTOM George 0. Huat, New (ii-leans, La., assignor toHiggins, Inc., New Grleans, La., a corporation of Louisiana Filed Aug.11, 1958, SenNo. 754,308

12 Claims. (ill. 11456) This invention relates in general to new anduseful improvements in boat hull construction, and more specifically toa boat hull having an struction.

In the design of a boat hull, the design of the bottom,

particularly the bow portion of the bottom is very critical.-

In a high speed boat hull, it is highly desirable that the bow portionof the bottom be so designed whereby it will readily cut through thewater so as to minimize resistance. On the other hand,

boat does not have the tendency to dive nor it is desirable that the bowis so constructed whereby the boat will continuously pound. Normally, inorder to obtain an inmade relatively thin and thus crease in speed, thebow is improved bottom conit is necessary that the bowconstruction be ofsuch a nature whereby the bow of the valuable space is lost.Furthermore, when the bow is so constructed, there is little to resistthe plunging of the bow with the result that the hull becomes unstable.On the other hand, if a relatively wide bow is used .the frontalresistance is too great. of the hull.

It is therefore the-primary object of this invention .to boat hullconstruction wherein the provide an improved bow is so constructedwhereby maximumspeed may be attained and at the sametime resistance tothe plunging of the bow is effected Another object of this invention isto provideanirnproved boat hull construction wherein the bottom thereofgenerally after the center is of a smooth construction and may be fiat,concave or convex, as desired, and the bow portion thereof is in theform of a plurality of longitudinally extending chines, the chines beingso designed so A as to effectively deflect the water downwardly with theforward motion of the hull whereby a much safer and drier boat results.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved boat hullconstruction which is of such a nature whereby there is provided easyriding with a minimum of pounding, improved running trim and aresistance of a downward suction of the bow to give a positive lift,which increases the running trim and thereby assures a drier, saferboat.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a j boat hull soshaped in construction, in creased speed, whereby the effectivedeflection of the bow wave at different zones is such to minimize theskin friction at all angles of longitudinal trim and wave conditions.

These will become subsequently apparent reside in the details ofconstruction and operation as more fully hereinafter described andclaimed, reference being had to the accomthe interest of in- Also, thereis excessive pounding by forming thebow froma plu-. rality of upwardlycurving longitudinally extending.

greater the upper lifting force.

together with other objects and advantages which panying drawingsforming a part hereof, wherein like. numerals refer to like partsthroughout, and in whichz FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of the boat hullembodying the features of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an tion line 33 of FIGURE 1 section of the boat bull in thevicinity of thestern;

FIGURE 4 is an taken substantially upon the-plane indicatedby thesection line 44 ofFIGURE :1 section of the boat boat hull;

FIGURE 5 is an tion line.55 of FIGURE boat hull;

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken substantiallyupon the plane indicated by the. section line .66 and showsthe-transverse section of ,the;

boat hull and the rear part of the bow;

FIGURE 7 is an enlargedvfragmentary sectional view.

taken substantially upon the plane indicatedby the, sec tion line 7-7 ofFIGURE 1 and showsvthe transverse section of the boat hull along thebow; and

FIGURE 8 is an enlarged-fragmentary transverse-sec-Q whichthe. chinesare tional View showing the manner in formed. utilizing a metalconstruction.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, it will that there isillustratedthe boat hull which is the of this invention, the .boat hullbeing referred to eral by the reference numerallll.

tional. The boat hullincludesa pair 'ofsides- 12 and a bottomconstruction which is referred to ingeneral by the reference numeral 14.The boat hull 10 also includes. 1

superstructure of the,- boat hull 10. has not been illustrated and maybe varied abow '16 and a transom 18. The

as is desired.

As is best illustrated in FIGURE 2, the.bott om 14. in-1 cludes a rearportion 20' tudinally extending chines. tirely across the bottom.

Referring now to FIGURES 3 and 4 in particular, it

will be seen, that the rear portion 20' of the bottom .14 is of the Vconstruction. However, for thepurpose of this invention, it is onlynecessary that the rear portion I 20 of the bottom 14 be smooth and ifdesired, it may be either V, concave, or conve At approximately themid-point of the bottom 14, the

smooth rear portion 20' is transformed into a plurality oflongitudinally extending chines 24. The individual chines 24 extendentirely across the bottom 14 between the chines 26 at the intersectionsof the bottom 14 with the sides 12. The. chines 24' curve upwardlytoward the bow 16 as is best shown in FIGURE 1 and in the transversesections of FIGURES 5, 6 and 7.

Referring now to FIGURE 8 in particular, it will be seen that the chines24 are formed, from the material used in constructing .the bottom 14.Each chine 24- is formed by an offset edge portion or, flange 28 of thebottom see tion 30. The offset edge portion 28 is secured to an adjacentlongitudinal section 30 either by welding 32 or is formed integraltherewith depending upon the particular hull construction. In any event,the width of the chines 2'4 is greatly in excess of the thickness of thematerial used in forming the bottom 14 and unlike the conventional lapstrake construction, the chines 24 are formed for stabil- Patented June.26, 1962.

bottom plan view of the boat hull of enlarged transverse sectional viewtaken substantially upon theplane indicated by. thesec and shows thetransverse enlarged transverse sectional ;.view.-v

and shows. the transverse hull just aft. of the mid-point of the.

enlarged transverse sectional view taken substantially upon the planeindicated by the sec-,.- 1 and. shows the transverse section of the boathull forwardly of themid-point oftthe.

be seen subject in gen- The boat hull 10, with the exception of the bowconstruction thereof, is conven which is smooth and a forward portion 22which is in the form of a plurality of longi- The chines 24 extend. en-

assures a drier and safer ity purpose as opposed to being an inherentpart of the construction. Because the width of the chines 2.4 is in noway dependent upon the thickness of the material used in theconstruction of the bottom 14, it will be seen that the bow constructionof the hull qualities.

In the construction of the bottom 14, should the boat be relativelysmall and a lightgauge metal is used, the chines 24 may be formed by astamping or bendingoperation and thelongitudinal sections 30 may beintegral parts of a sheet. On the other hand, when the construction ofthe hull must be heavier duty because of the size of the hull, it isnecessary that, a particular gauge metal be used. Thismetal cannot beshaped so as to have the chines Z4 formed from an integral construction.The individual setcions 30 may either be cut from the sheet materialused in forming the aft portion .of the bottom 14 or may be separatestrips. In the event separate strips are used, the individual strips 30may be extruded.

Iniaddition to the chines (2.4 and the normal chines 26 carrying at theintersection of the bottom and the sides of. the boat hull, the forwardportions of the sides 12 are provided with chines 34. The chines 34terminate forwardly of the mid-point of the hull 10, as is best shown inFIG- URES 1 and Q. 7

As will be readily apparent from the sections through the bow portion ofthe hull 10, there is an. increasein deadrise over the normal deadrise.This increase in deadrise is obtained without the loss of sectional areawhich is highly desirable in a hull design.

Because of the shape of the chines and the maximum offset obtained withthe present construction, it will. be readily apparent that when thehull 10 has a tendency to nose down or plunge into the water, thesurfaces of the offset striking thewater .will resist the downward plunging of the bow and give a positive lift thereto, Furthenmore, becausethe individual chines 24 curve upwardly towards the bow, as the reactionof the water on lift which increases the the chines 2'4 willgiveapositive. running trim of the hull. This hull. On the other hand,because-a maximum angle of deadrise is obtainable with the particularhull design, there is a minimum of pounding. The effective deflection ofthe bow wave in difierent zones due to the provision of the multiplechines along the bow at the bottom of the boat also minimizes skinfriction at all angles of longitudinal trim and wave conditionsand thusresults in increased speed, thus the provision of v the multiple annularchines dividing the hull bottom and sides into different zones resultsin a faster boat which has less. pounding and safer riding qualitieswithout sacrificing sectional area in the bow.

10 may have the desired construction comprising a smooth after portionand a ribbed forward portion said forward and aft portions 3. In a boathull, a bottom construction, said bottom construction comprising asmooth after portion and a ribbed forward portion said forward and aftportions being continuous and defining a longitudinally extendingcontinuous planing surface, said ribbed forward portion being in theform of a plurality of angular chines defining longitudinally extendingstrip like areas with said areas being joined by-outwardly anddownwardly facing T longitudinally extending flanges whereby anincreased angle of deadrise is possible without loss of sectional area,said strip likeareas terminating at their rear ends in end portionssubstantially paralleling the longitudinal center line of said hull, theexposed width of each of said flanges being greater than the thicknessof the materialfrom which said chines are formed.

boat hull 10 moyes forwardly, .the i The foregoing is considered asillustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, sincenumerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilledin the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exactconstruction and operation shown and described, and accordingly allsuitable modifications and V equiyalents maybe resorted to, fallingwithin the scope of the invention as claimed. a

What is claimed as new is as follows: i 1. In a boat hull, a bottomconstruction, said bottom construction comprising a smooth after portionand a ribbed forward portion said forward and aft portions :beingcontinuous and defining a ongitudinally extending continuous planingsurfacefs aid. ribbed. forward por tion being in the form of ap uralityof angular chines defining longitudinally extending strip like areaswith said areas being joined by outwardly and downwardly facinglongitudinally extending flanges whereby an increased' angle "ofdeadrise is possible .without loss of sectional area, said strip likeareas terminating at their rear ends in end portions substantiallyparalleling the longitudinal center line of said hull.

2. In a boat hull, a bottomiconstruction,, saidbottom ribbed forwardportion said 4 =In a boat hull, a bottom construction, said bottomconstruction comprising a smooth after portion and a ribbed forwardportion said forward and aft portions being continuous and defining alongitudinally extending said ribbed forward portion continuous planingsurface, being in the form of a plurality of angular chines defininglongitudinally extending strip like areas with said areas being joinedby outwardly and downwardly facing longitudinally extending flangeswhereby an increased angle of deadris'e is possible without loss ofsectional area, said striplike areasterminating at their rear ends inend portions substantially paralleling the longitudinalcenter line ofsaid hull, each of said flanges being integral with the next adjacentarea toward the longitudinal center line of the hull, the exposed widthof each of said flanges being greater than the thickness of the materialfrom which said chines are formed.

5. 'In a boat hull, a bottom construction, said bottom constructioncomprising a smooth after portion and a ribbed forward portion saidforward and aft portions being continuous and-defining a longitudinallyextending continuous planing surface, said ribbed forward portion aplurality of angular chines defining longitudinally extending strip likeareas with said areas being in the form of being joined by outwardly anddownwardly facing longitudinally extending flanges whereby an increasedangle of deadrise is possible without loss of sectional area, said striplike areas terminating at their rear ends in end portions substantiallyparalleling the longitudinal ,center line of said hull, said boat hullhaving sides, said chines extending completely between saidsides.

6. In a boat hull, a bottom construction, said bottom constructioncomprising a smooth after portion and a forward and aft portions beingcontinuous and defining a longitudinally extending continuous planingsurface, said ribbed forward portion being in the form of a plurality ofangular chines defining longitudinally extending strip like areas withsaid areas being joined by outwardly and downwardly facinglongitudinally extending flanges whereby an increased angle of deadrise.is'possible without loss of sectional area, said strip like areasterminating at their rear ends in end portions substantially parallelingthe of said hull, said boat hull having sides, said chines extendingcompletely between said sides, said sides including forward portions, alower part of each side forward porlongitudinal center line tion beingin the form of an angular chine correspond ing to said chines of saidbottom construction.

7. In a boat hull, a bottom construction, said bottom constructioncomprising a smooth after portion, and a ribbed forward portion saidforward and aft portions being continuous and defining a longitudinallyextending continuous planing surface, said ribbed forward portion beingin the form of a plurality of angular chines defining longitudinallyextending strip like areas with said areas being joined by outwardly anddownwardly facing longitudinally extending flanges whereby an increasedangle of deadrise is possible without loss of sectional area, said striplike areas terminating at their rearends in end portions substantiallyparalleling the longitudinal center line of said hull, each ofsaidflanges being integral with the next adjacent area toward thelongitudinal center line of the hull, said boat hull having sides, saidchines extending completely between said sides.

8. In a boat hull, a bottom construction, said bottom constructioncomprising a smooth after portion and a ribbed forward portion saidforward and aft portions being continuous and defining a longitudinallyextending continuous planing surface, said ribbed forward portion beingin the form of a plurality of angular chines defining longitudinallyextending strip like areas with said areas being joined 'by outwardlyand downwardly facinglongitudinally extending flangeswhereby anincreased angle of deadrise is possible without loss of sectional area,said strip like areas terminating at their rear ends in end portionssubstantially paralleling the longitudinal center line of said hull, theexposed width of each of said flanges being greater than the thicknessof the material from which said chines are formed, said boat hull havingsides, said chines extending completely between said sides.

9. In a boat hull, a bottom construction, said bottom constructioncomprising a smooth after portion and a ribbed forward portion saidforward and aft portions being continuous and defining a longitudinallyextending continuous planing surface, said ribbed forward portion beingin the form of a plurality of angular chines defining longitudinallyextending strip like areas with said areas being joined by outwardly anddownwardly facing longitudinally extending flanges whereby an increasedangle of deadrise is possible without loss of sectional area, said striplike areas terminating at their rear ends in end portions substantiallyparalleling the longitudinal center line of said hull, said boat hullhaving sides, said chines extending completely between said sides, saidsides including forward portions, a lower part of each side forwardportion being in the form of an angular chine corresponding to saidchines of said bottom construction, the exposed width of each of saidflanges being greater than the thickness of the material from which saidchines are formed.

10. In a boat hull, a boat bottom construction, said bottom constructioncomprising a smooth after portion and a ribbed forward portion, saidforward and aft portions being continuous and defining a longitudinallyextending continuous planing surface, said ribbed forward portion beingin the form of a plurality of angular chines spaced transversely of andextending longitudinally of said forward portion between opposite sidesthereof, said angular chines including at least rear end portionssubstantially paralleling the longitudinal center line of said hull.

11. The combination of claim 10 wherein said forward portion terminatesat its forward end in a bow structure, said angular chines on oppositesides of a vertical plane containing the longitudinal center line ofsaid hull curving upwardly toward said bow and being forwardlyconvergent.

12. The combination of claim 10 wherein said hull has sides, said chinesextending completely between said sides, said sides each being providedwith at least one longitudinally extending chine in the forward portionof said hull spaced slightly above the bottom edges thereof, said sidechines curving upwardly toward the bow of said hull.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

